Monday, April 30, 2007

Browniebabe of the Month

When Myriam from the wonderful Once Upon a Tart first announced this event I knew that I just had to take part. Brownies are one of those classic items that everyone seems to love.

It might sound strange but I haven't made that many brownies - they aren't really part of Italian cuisine so I've been trawling the books trying to find one that appealed to me. I finally settled on one from Australian Gourmet Traveller's Chocolate. I liked the fact that it used almond meal as this tends to give a moist result and rather than using nuts, it's dotted with chunks of white chocolate.

Chocolate, Almond and White Chocolate Brownies

125 grams softened butter, cut into small cubes

110 grams caster sugar

2 eggs

55 grams ground almonds/almond meal

65 grams plain flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoons Dutch process cocoa

125 grams dark couverture chocolate, melted (I used 70% Callebaut)

110 grams white couverture chocolate, roughly chopped ( I used Lindt)

Preheat the oven to 170°C/340°F and grease and line the base of a 20cm/8 inch square cake tin.

Sift the plain flour, baking powder and cocoa together and set to one side.

Place the softened butter and sugar into the bowl of a mixer and beat until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure they are fully incorporated before adding the next.

Sprinkle over with almond meal and fold through using a rubber spatula. Next add the sifted flour mixture and stir through.

Pour over the melted chocolate and mix this through before finally adding the white chocolate chunks.

Spoon this out evenly into your prepared pan - you may need to use the back of a spoon to smooth out the surface.

Bake for about 40 minutes - the surface should be cooked but there should still feel springy to the touch.

Let it sit in the tin for about 5 minutes before moving it onto a wire rack to cool.

Cut into squares and serve.

The top is set with that slight crackling and the interior has that lovely chewy consistency that you expect with brownies.